What are your upcoming photo trips/excursions for the summer?

To try and stimulate a little conversation here I thought I'd just throw that out there. For me my wife and I will be taking a two week trip to Alaska next month. Doing the cruise thing for my mother in laws bday for wk 1 then going to denali and Kenai pennisula for the remainder. Should be a fun trip. Wish it could've been done in the fall but, it is what it is.

Hoping to get some backpacking trips in this summer too. Any hoo, thought that this could be a fun little topic.

Headed to the Columbia River Gorge and the Palouse next month. Starting tentative plans for a week or so backpacking in the South Juan Mountains near Durango for peak wildflowers at the end of July or beginning of August. Other than that, I am up in the air. I hope you have nice weather in Alaska.

I will be doing some short trips up into the Sonora Pass country, and a few days on the East Side; probably Rock Creek and McGee Creek country. I might also head up to Tuolumne Meadows.

--P

Started a new job fairly recently, so won't have much time this summer for extended trips. I wanna shoot some flowering dogwoods in the next month, as well as (hopefully) head up to the redwoods around Crescent City. Trying to do some extended backpacking in the John Muir wilderness in late June. Should I have any spontaneous time off in July/Aug, I would love to head to the SW for monsoon season. Hopefully I can suck it up over the summer and have more time to travel come fall! If anyone has any info on good dogwood drives, feel free to send me any info!

If wildflowers in the Eastern Sierra look like a good year, I might
venture there in May--June. Further out I'm considering a trip to
the Redwoods in late May and perhaps going up the coast into
Oregon and Washington.

I appreciate all of the input that has been posted thus far.

I'm headed up to the Owens this weekend, a little business and some photography opportunities I hope. I usually plan trips within a weekends hop based on weather and other conditions. I may check our local mountains the San Gabriels, San Benardinos and San Jacintos for flowers. It's unfortunate that we had decent winter rains, but a brutally cold spring with howling winds have discouraged or delayed the wildflower bloom I enjoyed so much last year. Sparse harsh conditions exercises your creative vision and makes you see better. In other words without the grand carpets and glorious blooms you have to work harder for your comps and sometimes your have to push out of your comfort zone, challenges are good especially if you can get that great image. Good Luck, be safe and come home with the memories and the shots; all.

Paul

@Michael: sounds like a good start to the summer season! I hope we have good wx too! ;)
@Preston: sounds like a gound itinerary. little quick trips are nice to do. I hoping to get up to Toulumne in June, just day tripping! I wonder when they'll get tioga open this year??

@Jared: I hear ya about the new job, tough to get away. For monsoon season if the SW doesn't work out there's always here on the east side. I hear we may have a hotter summer and more than normal tstorms. time will tell.

@robert: redwoods sure would be a nice trip. those lush green forests are nice to see compared to the desert like colors over here.

@Paul: going to be busy around the lakes and streams this weekend, sat is fishmas!! :)

Not exactly summer, but am making my first trip to Yosemite May 17 - 25th. Probably can't get to the higher levels so will be satisfied with wildflowers, trees,
scenics and waterfalls. Am really excited. Have been to almost all the national parks except Yosemite.

Nancy: you're going to have an awesome trip! The water falls should be raging! Lon is an expert at Yosemite. For current conditions you might want to check Michael Frye's blog.

Cory,

Don't know if you got out this weekend, but I only made it a far north as Aberdeen. I had a cabin at Marty's sold it this weekend. Oh well I have four wheel cabin now. Anyway I think the high price of fuel really cur into the opener. There were vacancies at the No Tell Motels and spaces at the RV Resort and it was blessedly quiet Friday and Saturday night. Wildflowers are still not in evidence there is some Lupine on Divison Creek but dwarf compared to last year. No Lupine bloom above Lone Pine Creek campground. There were icicles on all of the wood and rocks at the Portal cascade. Really had to search for image opportunities.

Paul

Paul: didn't get out much last weekend. But my impression was there wasn't as many people rolling through town as compared to last year. fuel prices probably didn't help. flowers aren't too good up here. I was in DV yesterday for work, near towne pass and there were quite a few flowers around there, but not like last years carpet bloom.

Just got back from a spur of the week trip to Yosemite, just got I day in the 14th, Sunday Snow day.....These last two storms have dumped 8 to 10 ft of new white stuff above 8,00 feet in the Sierra. There may be a long wait for the snow to melt off in the high country and who knows about Tioga pass. Is this the year it never opens?

Paul

Just got home from 4 days in Yosemite Valley. Planning on doing the high country mid July.